Kingdom Come (14 page)

Too soon, she took a step back and looked up at him. “Thank you. Really.”

She was close enough to kiss. The thought took root in his mind and would not let go. It was only the sound of an approaching car that allowed him to gain control of himself before he ravished her. He swallowed hard and watched her turn to face the parking lot. Her lips turned up into a smile when a scowling dark-skinned woman emerged from the backseat of the vehicle.

“Hey, Candace,” she called.

The woman looked over at her and raised her eyebrows. “I’m surprised you survived the day.”

With that cryptic statement she turned back to the car to speak to the driver. Edric frowned. He looked down at Abby’s pinched expression and decided to save the questions for another time. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and visibly relaxed when she realized he was not going to interrogate her.

He looked back at the other woman to see her examining them as she walked toward the building. Her large, dark eyes moved from his proximity to Abby, to the silent Aditi, and finally the new garden. Her eyes widened, then narrowed. There was something vaguely familiar about her.

She stopped a few feet in front of Abby and gave her a small smile, before she gave him a polite nod.

“Your Highness.”

He wondered at the hint of humor in her tone. “A pleasure to meet you, Ms…”

“Johnson.” He noticed she made no offer for him to call her by her first name.

“A pleasure, Ms. Johnson.”

She simply nodded and glanced at Aditi. She raised one eyebrow. “Nice garden.”

Aditi blinked in surprise beside him. “Thank you.”

He noticed Abby watching the interaction. He was pleased to notice the edge of danger was no longer in her eyes when she looked at the smaller woman. After acknowledging the gardener, Candace turned her head to pin him with an unreadable look.

“Lilies,” she said.

As it was not a question, he did not answer. Again, he saw a flash of amusement in her dark eyes. She turned back to Abby and sighed.

“I’m ordering in tonight.” With that, she walked past them to the door on the left side of the building.

Abby was smiling when he looked back at her. “She grows on you.”

Chapter Eight

A Devious Shadow

“When truth is replaced by silence, the silence is a lie.”

-
Yevgeny Yevtushenko

“Have a nice day,” she called to Candace’s retreating back.

The other woman waved over her shoulder without turning or slowing her pace. Abby watched her round the corner to ascend the stairs. After Edric left the day before, Candace had gone up to her bedroom. She had not come down for dinner, even though it was her idea to order in. Abby was not sure what to make of it.

When Abby tried to make conversation over breakfast, the other woman had given her one word answers or none at all. Abby shook her head and headed for Agent Jackson’s office. Candace had insisted on coming to the White House earlier than usual, going so far as to call a taxi instead of waiting for the usual black sedan.

Agent Jackson would be thrilled to see her. She snorted under her breath and nodded to a guard who gave her a funny look. As she walked, her right hand drifted up to touch the lily tucked behind her ear. A bright orange tiger lily. She smiled at the feel of the cool petals under her fingertips.

The door to Jackson’s office was still closed, not an odd sight, but as she approached she heard raised voices from within. She slowed and finally stopped a few feet from the door, glancing around. The hallway was empty aside from the guard leaning against the wall five doors down. He sent her a bored look.

She inched closer, casually leaning against the wall in a mirror of the guard’s pose. If he cared about her actions, his blank expression did not show it. She sent the stoic man a small smile, as she focused on identifying the two voices speaking. The voices were low in pitch, one of them with a slight southern accent. The President, then.

That left Agent Jackson as the other speaker. No surprise. The conversation paused and a desk drawer slammed shut. The chair, the uncomfortable one in front of Jackson’s desk, squeaked when the president sat. A throat cleared.

“It was supposed to be quick,” the president said.

“Our information was incomplete, sir.” The chair behind the desk squeaked, as if Jackson had shifted uncomfortably.

“What’s the problem? You said he agreed to give us the antigravity tech in return for conjugal visits from his little girlfriend. I fail to see where the disconnect happened.”

Jackson sighed. “She’s not cooperating.”

“How so?”

“She is participating in the courtship. I doubt she’s intelligent enough to intentionally sabotage our efforts. It’s, most likely, a case of a woman being charmed by the promise of a big payoff.”

She was not sure who he was talking about, but she was offended on the woman’s behalf. He made her sound like an idiot, at best. A gold digger, at worst.

“That’s easy enough to fix. Don’t allow her in the White House on days he will be here.”

“It’s not that simple, sir. Our intel on the bonding was incomplete. He will become violent if he suspects we are intentionally separating them.”

“How would he know?” There was a brief silence. “What about the other?”

“Moved in with the woman from upstairs. She checks clean and she’s been here for two years.”

“Good. Any push back?”

“None.”

“I want to continue to create the friction with the Dorn,” the president muttered.

“Of course, sir. The tech they have supplied?”

The older man made a noncommittal sound. “Not as good as the scraps we get from the Ghadrikans, but…”

“Understood.” Abby heard the faint shuffling of papers. “Our sources say the prince was at her apartment. He planted flowers.”

Abby barely heard his derisive snort past the ringing in her ears. Her. They were talking about her. She froze. Her mind went back to the first time she met the prince in the president’s office. His intense stare, the way his tone softened when he spoke to her. She felt her eyes widen.

Like a film reel, she saw each passion-filled glance he had sent her. The way he continued to meet with the president even though he clearly disliked the man. It was all for her. Warmth bloomed in her chest, as her lips curved.

“…will not hesitate to
take her there against her will if he suspects we are interfering in the bonding.”

Her smile slipped.

“Our overseas sources say he was partially responsible for the terrorist cell on the Russia border.”

“Reliable?”

“Very. The Dorn have a great deal invested in the conflict, but the Ghadrikans helped to stir the pot, so to speak.”

“Interesting.”

Abby stared at the wall across from her, her smile gone.

“And does the girl know enough to pose a threat to security?” she heard the president ask.

Jackson scoffed. “She’s only here as bait, sir.”

The president hummed thoughtfully. “And what of Caern’s interest in her?”

Papers shuffled. “According to the Dorn, the ambassador has a deep-seated hatred toward his father.”

“And do you believe that explanation?”

Jackson paused. “Hatred has a way of motivating people.”

“Where pure lust fails?”

“Exactly. We’ve had little success in loosening the prince’s iron grip on his tech using the girl, alone. Perhaps, what we need is old-fashioned rivalry to urge him along.”

“And the girl?” The president’s tone was uncaring to the point of insulting.

Abby scowled at the wall. Waitressing was starting to sound really good.

“People go missing every day. Do you intend to actually give her to the ambassador?”

The president let out a short laugh. “No. She can distract him until our plans come to fruition, but I have no intention of allowing a U.S. citizen to shack up with an alien.”

Abby inhaled sharply at the disrespectful description, before her eyes narrowed. If he thought he had any say in h
er actions, he had another think coming. Both chairs squeaked as the conversation ended and the men stood.

“I have a meeting with Caern in ten minutes,” the president said from just on the other side of the door.

Abby leapt away from the wall and turned to flee, only to come face to face with Lord Caern. Her breath caught in her chest, as she stared at him with wide eyes. His lipless mouth curved up into a dark smile.

“Abigail Ashley, listening at keyholes.” His tongue slithered out and flicked in her direction. “How very common.”

The door opened behind her before he could say more, and his black eyes moved to take in the men behind her.

“Agent Jackson, President Anderson.” His gaze moved back to Abby and swept her from head to toe. “I was just speaking to your secretary.”

“Administrative assistant,” she said, before she could stop herself.

Jackson cleared
his throat. “You are early, Miss Ashley. I hope you haven’t been waiting long.”

The two men stepped into the hallway and Jackson pulled his office door closed behind him. He gave Abby a hard look.

“Not really.” She glanced at the president to see him watching her closely.

“She was most entertaining company during the wait,” Lord Caern said.

She felt a surge of irritation at his obvious amusement, but she forced a smile. “I’m glad I could be of service.”

“Thank you,” Jackson said abruptly. “Now, if you would excuse us.”

She was going to give him a piece of her mind one day. As it was, she gave him a tight smile. “Of course, sir.”

The moment she was out of their sight, she let her calm façade fall. The confusion and anger she had been suppressing rose to the front of her mind and she felt herself scowling. As she walked past guards, they turned to stare at her. She ignored them and stalked to Candace’s office.

“Can I talk to you?” she demanded, before the door even closed behind her.

Candace raised her head slowly and raised her eyebrows. “About what?”

“Men.” She thought she saw Candace’s lips twitch.

“Any man in particular?” She returned her gaze the paperwork on her desk, causally marking with a red pen.

“Several. What are you doing?”

Candace glanced at her. “You might as well sit down.” She gestured to the chair next to her desk. It was far more comfortable that Jackson’s. “New policies that need to be looked over.”

“Thanks.” Abby collapsed into the offered seat and frowned when her dress clothes made it impossible to slouch as she would like. “What policies?”

“White house staff relations with members of foreign governments.” Candace raised her eyes to meet her gaze pointedly.

“That’s part of what I wanted to talk about. Can-” she paused and stared at Candace hard. “Can I trust you?”

The other woman appeared thoughtful. “Depends on the information. I can’t guarantee I will be impartial, but I will keep it to myself if that’s what you’re asking.”

Abby nodded. “Okay.” She took a deep breath and released it with a flood of words. “The president and Agent Jackson are playing the Dorn and Ghadrikans against each other to get military technology. Prince Edric thinks I am his Arammu, he is apparently courting me, and I’m being used as bait.” She paused to glance at Candace’s face.

The woman’s eyebrows were hiding behind her bangs. “Oh.”

“Right. And the president said Edric is helping terrorists.” She noticed Candace’s expression change at her causal use of the prince’s first name. “And when I was on Ghadrik I saw countless examples of technology that our military would kill to have, but I didn’t tell Jackson when he asked me. I don’t know why, but it just didn’t feel right.”

“You have feelings for him, don’t you?” Candace asked tonelessly.

Abby looked at her quickly, then away. “I think so, yes.” She could feel the other woman’s stare on the side of her face.

“You realize, by hiding information, you’ve committed treason.”

Abby jerked her head to stare at Candace. “I-”

“And have probably given away information without realizing it. It could be a breach of security. You realize the ambassador is using you.”

Abby paused. It did not sound right. “What reason could he possibly have for pretending to be interested in me?”

Candace sighed. “Abby.”

“No, really. I mean, I know I’m not a great catch, but he seems to genuinely like me. So, what do I have to offer that is important enough to go through all this trouble?”

The other woman gave her a pitying look. “Think about it. How much do you know about him? Next to nothing, right?” At Abby’s hesitant nod, she continued, “But you hid information about his world from your own country. What will
you do for him once he romances you a little?”

A sinking feeling in her stomach, Abby rose from her chair to pace. “But why me?”

“Maybe, you seem like an easy target.”

That stung. Abby scowled, but did not argue. “The job was offered to me because…”

“Didn’t you say you recognized the kitchen staff from where you worked before?”

Abby glanced at her. Had she mentioned that? “So? They told the prince I would be easy to sway and he made sure I got the job?”

Candace stared at her.

“That’s…” She shook her head. Really messed up is what it was. “Do you think I should tell Jackson what I know about Ghadrik?”

“No.” Candace shook her head. “What’s done is done.”

The answer did not sound quite right, but Abby nodded. “Alright. I think I’m going to go back to the apartment. I’m not really feeling today.”

Candace, already focused back on her paperwork, nodded. “Sounds good. I’ll be back around four.” She glanced at the clock near the door. “I have a meeting in about twenty minutes. Will you be okay riding back alone?”

“I’m taking a cab. The silence creeps me out,” she said, thinking about the government driver who barely ever spoke.

The older woman gave her a long look. “Be careful.” The words came out with a strange cadence. When she spoke again, it was gone. “Don’t pay more than twenty. The cabs like to price gouge.”

“Got it.” Abby started to turn away and paused. “Thanks. For not turning me in, I mean.” She glanced at Candace to see she had paused in her work, her gaze on the desktop.

“You’re welcome. I have to get back to work.”

Abby took that as her cue and left the office, closing the door quietly behind her. She took the main stairs to the ground floor and shuffled into the crowd of tourists. She followed the group of elderly women out the north side of the building and down the driveway. None of the guards gave her a second look when sh
e left the grounds through the north east gate.

She wandered down the tree
-lined sidewalk behind the chattering ladies, trying to ignore the pinch of her shoes. They reached fifteenth street and she could not hold back a sigh of relief when a taxi sped by. She quickly separated from the rest of the group to walk the sidewalk beside The Treasury.

A cab pulled up only seconds later. The thirty-something in the driver’s seat leaned over the center console to look out the passenger window at her.